Pulsatile tinnitus finally gone.

Posted , 2 users are following.

Hi

For over 10 years now I have suffered with pulsatile tinnitus in my right ear. In the beginning it was just a faint pulsing coming from my right ear that was heard in the evening when things quietened down. However, over the past 6 years the tinnitus became so loud that it affected my sleep, my hearing and also my mood. The only way I could stop the whooshing sound was by putting pressure over my neck (basically stopping the blood flow). Over the 10 years, I have been sent to a number of doctors (NHS Scotland) with the majority of them telling me that it was nothing to worry about and that it may be just stress. I pushed further (after many years) and was sent for certain scans which I was told showed no abnormalities that could be causing the tinnitus. Feeling hopeless and demented I started looking for doctors who specialised in pulsatile tinnitus. I came across a Dr Nicholas Higgins who pointed me in the direction of Dr Patrick Axon (Cambridge). I had the previous scans that were taken sent over to Dr Axon and he found that I had a diverticulum of the sigmoid sinus/ dehiscence of the temporal bone. He stated at the time that surgery (resurfacing of the sigmoid sinus) could help. Ling story short, I came back to the NHS with Dr Axons advice and I was sent to Dr Georgious Kontarinis in Glasgow who performed the operation on me a fortnight ago. I am overwhelmed and delighted to say that my wooshing blood flow has now stopped blaring out my ear. In my experience, pulsatile tinnitus is completly overlooked and I don't think doctors take on how much it can affect day to day life for the people that suffer with it. Thank you for reading.

2 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • Posted

    Wow, I'm so pleased for you and this gives me hope!

    I am waiting to talk to my doctor about this as mine has recently worsened and I can't sleep and even working is proving problematic for me as I can't concentrate for long. I'm just now wondering if it is linked to something else so I'm hoping to start my journey and push the NHS into investigating further.

    Did you have to go private to get your treatment?

    • Edited

      Hi

      Apologies, I have only just seen this message.

      My operation was through the NHS, however I had previously went private so that I could speak with specialists, this ultimately led to my diagnosis of a diverticulum of the sigmoid sinus.

      I hope you find the solution to your tinnitus. 😃

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